It requires a spectacular leap of faith in a kind of superheroic American exceptionalism to imagine that the invasion of Afghanistan that occurred in November 2001 will end any differently from any previous invasion of that country. And it takes an elaborate exercise in self-delusion to avoid recognizing that the Taliban crisis in Pakistan is an effect of the war in Afghanistan, rather than a cause — and that Pakistan’s turmoil is unlikely to end before the U.S. winds down its campaign next door.

Webmaster's Commentary:

The level of magical thinking expressed here, coupled with an absolute naivete about the history of this region, is virtually guaranteed to lead to countless more deaths of American military troops, not to mention the huge numbers deaths of Afghan and Pakistani citizens.

At the end of the day, the US will re-experience its "Saigon Moment" in Afghanistan.

One only has to wonder just how long that will be - and how many more have to die - before it happens.